The very best luxury soaps/creams, money no object

Thanks for reading gentlemen . Nuavia is an amazing product. There are very few game changers in the shaving world, but in my opinion this is one of them.

Unfortunately, I think its increasingly high price tag will keep a lot of people from allowing their games to be changed. It's a wonderful soap with beautiful packaging, but I think it would be just as wonderful a soap with slightly less beautiful (and far less expensive) packaging as well. He may be pricing himself out of the market, which is a tragedy. Nuavia is a masterpiece.

I agree with you to some extent Barrister_N_Mann, and actually I've recommended your soap as an accessible alternative (something about the texture and feel is comparable). In any case, I can see why he prices it so high. The quality speaks for itself, from packaging to performance. Not all luxury products are worth the price for me, but Nuavia is certainly one of them. I honestly don't think the artisan will have any issue with sales.

Barrister_N_Mann and NeoXerxes my biggest criticism of Nuavia line is the lack of refills. I will not be buying them again, as much as I enjoy them. $120 for two soaps is a back breaker and I only ended up with these as a gift. If they offer refills I would be all over it, but I'm afraid the Nuavias are soaps I will be able to experience just one time until they are gone. No reason for me to buy these when the containers are a good portion of the price, and I do not want the extra containers.

Another fair criticism. I've asked the artisan directly for refills myself. While I'll definitely be buying them again, at some point beyond two or three refills I expect to have so many empty bowls around my house that I won't be able to find uses for them. One can only have so many potted plants lol. I do think that refills should be offered, but I wouldn't mind a system where refills are only sold to repeat customers, if the artisan wishes to keep the soaps somewhat exclusive.

Yet another criticism is the scent limitations. I love the two scents that are offered and find them to be stunning in quality. However, from both a business and consumer perspective, I really think the line can use a green bowl with a fresh/clean scent, perhaps a fougere or clean soapy scent. I think it would sell very well (particularly to the American market) and it fits a niche since the two soaps available now have more "dark" and almost cold weather scent profiles. I've also suggested this to the artisan and I believe he may be exploring options.

Barrister_N_Mann and NeoXerxes my biggest criticism of Nuavia line is the lack of refills.  I will not be buying them again, as much as I enjoy them.  $120 for two soaps is a back breaker and I only ended up with these as a gift.  If they offer refills I would be all over it, but I'm afraid the Nuavias are soaps I will be able to experience just one time until they are gone.  No reason for me to buy these when the containers are a good portion of the price, and I do not want the extra containers.

Agreed. While refills are a LOT of work (we don't make them anymore for that very reason), when you have a soap that's so expensive (MdC, Nuavia, C&S, etc), it's probably prudent to offer some way to mitigate the impact of the price over time.

I wonder if the artisan does not offer refills because he wants first time buyers to have the experience of purchasing the entire package. If I were releasing such a product, I'd offer refills only a couple of years after the release of the product itself. It can be expected that refills will also increase market share since they will be more accessible. Sometimes that isn't desirable for an artisan. For instance, if Czech & Speake were an artisan brand, I highly doubt that the refill pucks would be so readily available and cheap relative to the presentation bowls.

Peter, while this soap may be everything you say it is, two things will keep me away.  First is the price.  There are too many great artisans out there selling their products at fair and reasonable prices for me to be tempted.  (Can you say Barrister_N_Mann? )  Second, while the ceramic jars may, indeed, be lovely, they break if they slip out of one's hands and land on a hard surface like a bathroom sink or tile floor.  Inasmuch as I shave barefoot, I try to keep ceramic or glass to a minimum.  I do have some things in those containers, such as Stirling's Pre-Shave Oil, and while I am happy with the product I am nervous while using them because of the breakable nature of the bottle or tub.

I am in no way taking away from your review and based on your and others' praises I am sure it is a quality product that I would enjoy if I tried it.  Ultimately, though, I'd rather have three or four Barrister and Mann, Dapper Dragon, or Stirling shaving soaps for the one I would be getting with PannaCrema Nuavia.  Not only that but all of those products are packaged in safer containers, at least for what works for me.

A well-articulated opinion Freddy ! I can see how many would prefer to have multiple soaps at a lower price point over one of the luxury soaps. I've struggled with this myself, but since I get noticeably better performance with the high end stuff, I choose to sacrifice having tons of variety in my rotation.

On the ceramic jar issue, it is certainly breakable, however this particular jar is the perfect size for my hand (I grip it by the underside with my left hand while loading with my right), and the makers of the jar left heavy clay texture along the underside of the circle which aids in grip. This leads me to suspect that I won't have an issue with dropping it, but of course if I do it will be a Humpty Dumpty sort of tragedy lol.

B&M review coming soon.

I agree with you to some extent Barrister_N_Mann, and actually I've recommended your soap as an accessible alternative (something about the texture and feel is comparable). In any case, I can see why he prices it so high. The quality speaks for itself, from packaging to performance. Not all luxury products are worth the price for me, but Nuavia is certainly one of them. I honestly don't think the artisan will have any issue with sales.

I agree and I know I will always have Nuavia in my den